The finished product. I don’t know about you, but I easily go through 2-3 pairs of gloves during any given winter season. Mostly they are lightweight gloves that are used for long periods of time while skinning, and the constant friction has worn through either a stitch on a seam or through the material completely. […]
DIY - Modification
Junk show? Like many of you, I have a hard time finding enough storage for all the toys that you need to live and enjoy life in a mountain town. Luckily, I have a garage to stash a lot of my stuff in, but there still never seems to be enough room for it all. […]
Click here for larger image of finished product. There is no doubt about it, anti-bot plates (those things that go on the bottom of crampons that help keep snow from globing up on them) are very necessary to keep you climbing safe and fast in the mountains. However, even though many crampons come with them […]
In the advent of soft shell jackets, it’s rare that I bring a Gore-tex shell with me when backcountry skiing. When I do, it’s more in the spring and summer, when the moisture is in the form of rain instead of snow. Even still, most of the time it sits in the bottom of my […]
For most winter seasons, like with skis, I tend to vary the AT boot model I’m using depending on the type of tour I’m doing. But for this past season, I committed to using the new Dynafit ZZeros 100% and their workout began climbing to the summit of Pico de Orizaba in early November, 2007. […]
Someday I’m going to use my KLR to actually go skiing. The one thing that drives me nuts about testing ski gear is that half the time the products are prototypes, and not quite fine tuned for production. Right now I have some Dynafit Manaslu skis and Zzeus boots in my possession, and although the […]
It’s that time of year when it’s important to have your climbing skins sufficiently waxed to avoid the dreaded glopping up of new snow when skinning from the sun into the shade. Waxed climbing skins will not only reduce the amount of glopping, but they will also allow for better glide on the frozen crust […]
I feel like my ski quiver is pretty deep right now and I have a ski for just about every condition, time of year and terrain possible. Though I’ve been super happy with the performance of the wood core Black Diamond skis this year, I always wonder why nearly every ski they make has some […]
My new hydration setup. I don’t know about you all, but I am definitely a CamelBak-type hydration fan. I don’t like to stop that much on the uphills, so I find being about to drink on the go helpful instead of waiting for a break and then guzzling water. Yeah…occasionally the tubes freeze, but filling […]
No doubt regluing climbing skins is one of the nastiest jobs related to backcountry skiing. Removing the old dog hair, pine needles, and kick wax encrusted glue can be a pain. We do it at the shop, use a heated scraper and glue sheets to get the job done right. You can also use Gold […]
Warning: These modifications to the Black Diamond Whippet are in NO way endorsed by Black Diamond or any of its employees and will nullify any warranty possibilities. The use of the Whippet in any other way than that intended by Black Diamond is NOT recommended. Ski mountaineering, backcountry skiing, and climbing are dangerous. Please…ski, climb, […]
Well it’s getting to be that time of year when the snow gets firm on just about all aspects and steep skinning can be a challenge. I have a pair of Dynafit ski crampons, but I really don’t use them that much. I am one of those backcountry skiers that prefers to skin over bootpack, […]